Avon Fantasy Reader No. 13 — page 70: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Onginal Sin by cS Toole Wright Connoisseurs of the science-fiction novel have rejoiced to see_S. Fowler Wright’s “The World Below” returned to print in a new book edition (Shasta Publishers, Chicago). For that novel of a mil- lion years to come is possibly one of the finest and most unforget- table portraits of a really remote future that has ever been produced . ranking with Olaf Stapledon’s epics. S. Fowler Wright is a prolific writer, however, and unfortunately for us many of his novels are simply detective stories or adventure with but a passing nod to — fantasy. His short story “The Rat’ is a classic terror tale which has often been reprinted. And we now have the pleasure of bringing you another fine short story, a perhaps tongue-in-cheek tale of two people in Utopia .. . and of the dreadful crime called love. aa” ~AM XP4378882. I write this’ with a pen, on sheets of paper in the old way, instead of speaking it into a recorder, because I want it to have a chance of survival, even though a time should come when no more of those instruments can be made or preserved; and because it is a very private thing. If this should be seen by one who could read its words, my death would be nearer even than are those of the men and women among whom I move. __ I am writing on the 28th day of Septembe;x, 2838, being nineteen years of age yesterday, and my friend Stella being two minutes younger than I. We two are the youngest people now alive in the world, having been born some- what after our time, though there may be eight millions of those who are not more than fourteen days older than we. For when men conquered disease, and the life of a healthy child became a’ certain thing, there was a law made that no parents should have more than three (though they could have less if they would, and there were always some that were barren; but there was margin enough for that, and for such as died young, being scalded, or burnt, or perhaps choked with a bone); and. then it was soon seen that it was a foolish thing for these children to be born whenever their parents would, as in the old disorderly days, and there was a further law that there should be a space of five years during which all mar- ried people might have what children they would (being it not more than three), and after that there should bea period of twenty-five years when none should be born at all. This worked well in more ways than might be thought at the first, for the children bred were all of a like age, and could be taught at one time, and would advance in a level way, whether at task or game, and the train- ing of each year was in no more than three grades, and they were of a like 63 Connicloolks co Clauae Fnornnill ang nis OUgenestra: snowrall “A sunocay Kind of Love * Autumn Nocturne °® For Heaven's Sake. = ” va oe o eaey Semen cena ecu Vein et haeeN I" Saipaketinc” aieaek Meamerrevamamy “icity J) Lh smieagecas| \y Se Rule rw Y See | GRY Phe See eee eid B-2521 - Woodchopper’s Ball * Northwest rassage. Rosemary Clooney: Hey There * Botcha Me ®* Half as S}